USAF Begins SHIELD Laser Testing This Summer

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Work best for moderate length wavelengths. Too long and its not helpful. Too short and it would not work either. Visual spectrum is about the ideal. RAM's what we are stuck with.

a reply to: anzha

Whoops, got my electrical symbols mixed up. The upgrade will take them to 450-500 kvA peak power.

a reply to: anzha

They should build the plane around the laser like an A10 around its gun.

a reply to: tadaman

maybe just replace the a10s gun with a laser. and then draw a shark face on the front.

a reply to: tadaman

They are working to place one on an AC-130 for the special forces (if they get the funding) and to put it on a UCAV for the MDA.

a reply to: anzha

The AC-130 is a great choice.

It would be cool if someone found a way to harness some of the lost power in jet exhaust so as to generate electrical power for laser weapons.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Thats a great idea! I wish they would. It makes a lot of sense IMO. I think there is already one A-10 that NASA owns with its cannon removed. Or the air national guard I forget where I read that. I say they should use that one and test the idea out.

a reply to: tadaman

granted this is for super sonic jets but i think you can extrapolate

ntrs.nasa.gov...

link.springer.com...

you could syphon some of the electricity and redirect it. along with the other benefits

a reply to: tadaman

Electrical generators on aircraft are getting more and more efficient as aircraft require more and more power to run systems.

a reply to: penroc3

Thats really cool. I imagined some sort of accelerated plasma being created and guided back into the engine via magnetized ducts and wound around long control chambers where it was then converted into electricity. Its cool they thought to apply a magnetic field to the ionized jet stream to create the plasma. More thrust is always good.

Ionizing the stream on even conventional aircraft was studied according to what I have read so far. Thats part of the thrill IMO. Making current tech into newer tech.

I wish I could understand more of it. I will keep reading though. Its a good find. Thanks for sharing.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I bet that there are. I think one day that when it comes to lasers on jets, that only weight and size will be the remaining issues since power seems like something that can be solved given enough time.

Weight and size to be solved with new material sciences soon enough I am sure.

a reply to: tadaman

Weight and size to be solved with new material sciences soon enough I am sure.

The SHiELD laser is to be put into something the size of the drop pods on an F-15. Very soon. That ought to tell you how well they are making progress.

a reply to: anzha

do you have a paper or something on this(for my own consumption)


im wondering what they are using for thermal management

a reply to: penroc3

They are not saying what they are using for thermal management. It's a fiber laser, so its far less heat generating than most other solid states (laser diodes are the underlying tech).

Remember to at 30 to 40,000 feet its bloody cold up there..

originally posted by: anzha
a reply to: penroc3

They are not saying what they are using for thermal management. It's a fiber laser, so its far less heat generating than most other solid states (laser diodes are the underlying tech).

Yeah, the diode pumped fiber lasers are the real deal, reaching slope efficiency (output power vs pump power) of over 80%. Combine that with ~80% efficient diodes and you have a 60-70% efficient laser.